As Destiny Blooms
by Akutenshi2
Summary: ~Updated - Part Three - Visions~ *coughs* Well, here it is, another little insane idea that's been flitting around in my head. Um.. an 01 'what if?' fic - It's evil Matt! *cackles* And... for Ken lovers.. Ken's still in here a lot! *grins*
1. Daho ~*~ Capture

*giggles* Okay, I should probably be working on 'Turn Back Time' right now, but the truth is, I'm suffering from mega-writers block on that, and besides, this deranged little idea has been floating around in my head for quite some time. This is my warped little version of what would've happened if Matt and the others had taken just a little longer to reach Tai in the final battle against Piedmon.   
  
- Ken - *cheers* Yes! An 01 fic! I won't be tortured!  
  
*coughs* Um, Ken, the thing is, being a writer with an insane imagination has some benefits...  
  
- Ken - *groans* You don't mean...  
  
Yep! *grins evilly* I reeeally twist this thing around and *you* end up in it! *cackles*   
  
- Ken - *screams* Nooooo!  
  
*giggles* Anyway... Don't I just love torturing my muses? *grins* And it's so fun, too!  
  
~Disclaimer~ Incredibly insane idea? Mine. Digimon? Not. You? No sue. Got the picture?  
  
Reviewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Please?  
  
  
~As Destiny Blooms~  
Part One ~ Daho ~*~ Capture  
  
  
The satanical figure laughed maniacally, a pitiless leer stretching across his black-and-white painted face, formed by lips the colour of the blood of his victims. A jester's cap was cocked heedlessly upon his head, and bells cuffing his frilled sleeves jingled all too merrily. He leapt into the air, taunting chuckles making a demonic harmony with the bells' frenzied ringing as he landed gracefully. The air seemed to crackle with furious negative energy, enlivening the dull, rocky landscape as storm clouds tumbled through the gray sky, illuminated by blinding flashes of light. The azure ribbons streaming from his crimson costume were caught in the swirling wind, twisting around him frantically in the gale. He was distracted for a moment by the rumbling thunder, echoes of which seemed to hang on the still air, thick with tension. He soon returned his attention to the task which had captivated it before: that of destroying his enemies.  
  
His reddened eyes focused on an injured boy who was struggling to stand. The large, lizard-like guardian of the child, cracked and battered himself, stood bravely between their evil oppressor and his charge. The clown grinned wickedly, anticipating their suffering as power danced in his hands.  
  
"Tai," gasped the dinosaur, clutching at his broken armour, "I can't hold out much longer. You, Izzy, and Kari get out of here. Hide and wait for the others."  
  
The chestnut-haired boy shook his head stubbornly, pain clouding his mahogany eyes. He struggled into a crawling position from where he had lain on the ground. "I'm staying with you, WarGreymon," he replied, forcing the words out although his head swam.  
  
The dinosaur conceded, attempting a weak joke. "I don't have the strength to argue with you, Tai." He tried to chuckle, but the pitiful laugh turned into a hacking cough. "Just tell Izzy and Kari to get out of here."  
  
The boy nodded. He had opened his mouth to call out to his friends when a blast of energy was sent rippling through the air, hitting him on the side and quite effectively knocking him backwards several feet. The advancing clown laughed sardonically as the two children standing to the side of the battlefield cried out to their injured friend.  
  
The clown flexed his hands. "Don't worry... You're next!" he assured them, smiling demonically.  
  
Tai crawled to his knees. "Izzy, Kari, get out of here, *now*!" he implored as the clown neared him.  
  
The red-headed boy planted a hand protectively on the young girl's shoulder. "I know you want me to take care of your sister, Tai, but I can fight, too! At least let me help!" he called back.  
  
Tai shook his head obstinately. "You can't win, Izzy! Get out of here, find the others! Maybe then we'll stand a chance!"  
  
"But what about you?" Izzy protested, gazing in horror at the advancing clown.  
  
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Tai assured him, his doubt of his own statement shining through his pained expression despite the bravado he displayed. Izzy cast him a skeptical and concerned look. "Really, Izzy! Go!"  
  
Izzy nodded reluctantly. Turning to his bug-like partner, he held out a small device that began to glow. The bug spoke in a nasal voice.  
  
"Tentomon digivolve to... Kabuterimon!" The creature's voice had changed, booming out like the synonymous rolls of thunder echoing from the skies. The bug had become an enormously proportioned flying insect. He had changed from a maroon-coloured, robotic figure to a royal blue insect with prodigious wings. He stooped to let Izzy climb on to his broad back. Izzy hoisted Tai's sister Kari and her cat-like partner Gatomon up beside him.  
  
"I'll be back, Tai," he promised silently as they flew off. Tears were coursing their way down Kari's face, carving a salty path as Tai faded from sight.  
  
The clown reverted his gaze from the receding bug to the victims below him. He smiled pleasantly, and a shiver ran down Tai's spine. "I suppose I'll get them later," he mused aloud, "after I'm done with *you*." He raised an elegantly shod foot and kicked the boy over. "I will teach you not to interfere with my plans!" he spat.  
  
Tai gritted his teeth, sweating in pain. "Piedmon, you're a pig!" he screamed, bronze eyes glinting malevolently. "You're a coward! You're cruel, and evil, and you will *never* take over this world, or mine! We will stop you!"  
  
"Oh, really?" Piedmon responded mildly, sneering. "Somehow I can't see how the Chosen will stop me... when their leader is dead!" The clown laughed insanely, gathering power in his hand as he glared down at the helpless boy.  
  
"Hey!" a rough voice interrupted. Piedmon looked aside impatiently at WarGreymon, who was attempting to stand. "Pick on someone your own size!"  
  
Piedmon smiled laconically. "If you insist," he replied.  
  
WarGreymon desperately gathered energy into a gleaming golden orb, which he hurled at the seemingly defenseless clown. "Terra Force!" he cried, as the attack neared its target.  
  
Yawning, Piedmon held up a single gloved hand delicately. "Is that the best you can do?" he asked snidely, as the ball of light dissipated at his fingertips. WarGreymon cried out in disbelief and fury, launching himself at Piedmon.  
  
The clown reacted quickly. "Trump Sword!" he screamed into the howling winds. The energy flew through the air, slamming into the dinosaur midair and shattering his breastplate. WarGreymon fell and lay still.  
  
"No!" Tai cried, attempting to stand. Piedmon whirled and repeated the attack, the distortion of energy in the air sending the boy crashing backwards into a boulder. He, too, slid unconscious to the ground. The clown smiled in satisfaction, turning to leave the bloody battlegrounds. He was several yards away when his departure was interrupted by a furious cry.  
  
"Tai!" A group of the Chosen, rallied by Izzy, crested a faraway hill, running full speed at the merciless Piedmon.   
  
The clown chuckled. "It seems my fun isn't over yet," he taunted, flexing his fingers. "Who shall be first?"  
  
A tall blonde boy and his dog-like partner raced ahead of the group, the dog's metallic horn glinting dangerously and the boy's crystal blue eyes sparking angrily. He paused briefly by the cracked boulder, gazing down at his leader's limp form before focusing again on Piedmon's smiling face with renewed fury.  
  
"You're DEAD!" he screamed, sprinting again towards the maniacal figure, his dog-like partner struggling to keep up. Piedmon's lips curved into a sneer as he looked on the child.  
  
"Ooh, I'm *so* scared," he taunted, stifling a laugh.  
  
Behind the boy, a fiery haired girl knelt by Tai, her crimson eyes furious, sad, and wary all at once. Cradling Tai's head in her lap, she called out a warning to the running boy. "Matt, be careful!"   
  
A small hand tugged on her shirt, and she looked down into the tearful eyes of Matt and Tai's younger siblings. Kari's light brown eyes asked an unspoken question about her brother. The older girl shook her head while responding. "I... don't know if he's going to be okay, honey."  
  
TK, Matt's younger brother and practically his clone, looked out after his reckless sibling. "Sora," he asked, "shouldn't somebody help Matt?"  
  
Sora glanced backwards at the other Chosen, who were running towards them. "Someone needs to stay here with Tai," she replied.  
  
A blue-haired teen older than the others with blackish eyes concealed behind wide glasses rode up on his partner, an immense mammoth-like creature bearing a large horn on its forehead. He slid off, patting the creature's furry back.  
  
"Ikkakumon and I got here as fast as we could." He paused, glancing down down at Tai, his already pasty face tinged green. He knelt and slipped a duffel bag off of his shoulder. "I have some med. supplies in here, but I think I'm allergic to blood."  
  
Izzy ran up beside his partner Kabuterimon. "Someone has to go after Matt," he panted, gesticulating wildly after their impetuous friend who was already halfway to the waiting Piedmon. "Joe, you stay here with Tai, TK, and Kari while we attack!" Joe, a sickened look on his pale face, nodded.  
  
Sora gently placed Tai's head on the ground and climbed aboard her own partner, a blazing bird of fire. "Come on, Birdramon," she cried, "let's go!" The bird cawed a response, and they took off after Matt, followed by Izzy, Kabuterimon, Ikkakumon, and TK's angel digimon Angemon. Kari's digimon Angewomon, a tall, blonde, feathered being similar to TK's except female in form, stayed behind to protect the three with Tai.  
  
Joe busily dug bandages out of his duffel. "I wonder where Mimi is?" he asked, wrapping a cut on Tai's arm. He wiped the sweat beading his forehead. "She said she was rallying an army or something, but we need her *now*!"  
  
"I dunno," replied TK absently as he watched the battle scene with wide blue eyes primarily focused on his brother.  
  
Piedmon grinned, tossing a ball of pure negative power from hand to hand. "Which one shall I destroy first...?" he mused. Suddenly, he froze, clutching the crackling orb of black energy in his right hand, and sniffed the air, his thoughts and senses centered on the young blonde boy sprinting towards him. His nostrils flared as he drunk in the scent of Matt's aura, and he grinned viciously.  
  
"The power..." he whispered, licking his lips hungrily. He sensed an immense dark force emanating from this boy. He made up his mind in a swift moment to try to greedily harness the power. Levitating forward, he grabbed Matt's shoulder. The boy jerked in shock , calling out for help from his partner.   
  
"Gabumon!" he screamed. Gabumon froze as a cold blue light flared up around him.  
  
"Gabumon digivolve to..."  
  
"That won't be necessary," Piedmon whispered, barely moving his blood-red lips. He grabbed a net and cast it on Gabumon, successfully halting the transformation.  
  
Taking hold of both the net and Matt's shoulder firmly, he hastily muttered an incantation as the other Chosen neared him. The three flickered and disappeared as the Chosen stared in shock.   
  
"Wh... where'd he go?" stammered Sora, the bird landing lightly on the ground. She hopped off and frantically scoured the area.  
  
"I... have no idea," admitted Izzy reluctantly, stumped.  
  
Quickly aided by TK, Kari, Angewomon, and the other digimon, Sora and Izzy searched the empty clearing thoroughly, coming up with no results.  
  
"Guys, come back here," called Joe from his spot next to Tai. "We need to think up a plan, and also get WarGreymon back to health, before we do anything."  
  
Hesitantly, the searchers gathered back by the large rock, muttering worriedly after their fruitless search. Joe opened his mouth to suggest an idea when the bandaged Tai cracked open a swollen eyelid. Groaning, he pushed himself up against the rock and rasped, "What happened?"  
  
~~~  
  
In Piedmon's dreary rock castle perched invisible high atop a hill, the threesome landed with a crash. The clown recovered quickly from his teleportation, and gazed down at the unconscious boy and digimon slumped on the floor. Lifting a gloved finger, he delicately traced the pale boy's cheekbone. He bent down and whispered gently to the unhearing figure.  
  
"You may not know it yet, young Chosen, but when the time comes, it will be you, not I, who will destroy your little friends."  
  
He tossed his head back and laughed long and loud, the maniacal chuckles reverberating through the bleary stone hall.  
  
  
-----  
  
*cackles* Well, like it? Hate it? Don't know? Agh, whatever! Reviieeeewwwwwwww! Please? I should be one of those really evil people who says 'Next chapter not coming up until I get sixty billion reviews!' Hmmm... I wonder if that'll work...   



	2. Meshidasu Ashi ~*~ To Summon Evil

*does mad scientist cackle* I'm aliiiiiiiiiiiive! And I have an excuse for being so lazy, I really, really do!   
  
- Ken - I'm sure...  
  
Shut up, you. *bonks muse with anime mallet* Wimbledon!  
  
- Ken - *staggering around* Please don't pretend you're good enough to play tennis in that...  
  
Uh, well, no, but my dad WANTS me to be, so I've been practising tennis every second of every day!   
  
- Ken - And this is relevant... how?  
  
Um... 'cause I sprained my wrist!  
  
- Ken - No you didn't.  
  
Okay, fine, I didn't. But I sprained it during the season last fall, and it's been acting up again! That's my excuse!  
  
- Ken - Clever.  
  
*bonks muse again* That and writer's block, anyways. Ooh! Ooh! Ken enters in this part!  
  
- Ken - I hate you.  
  
Heh...  
  
Aaand... I wanna thank EVERYONE who's been incredible and reviewed! Especially Jesanae Tekani, who... uh... scared me into writing this again... *grins sheepishly* And the four people, who, according to the statistics page, have put this story on favourites! (Despite the lack of... enthusiasm... on my part... heh...) And, uh... for those who were wondering, I *was* kidding with the sixty billion review thing in the last chapter... heh...  
  
Disclaimer ~ Okay, if you haven't gotten the point by now, you're dense. Really, really dense. Okay, let me explain. I am a FAN (implying that I do NOT own digimon) writing FICTION, hence the term Fanfiction. Comprende? Oh yeah, and one line is from Harry Potter, which belongs to JK Rowling! Got it? Good.  
  
Read! Review!  
  
  
As Destiny Blooms  
Part Two ~ Meshidasu Ashi ~*~ To Summon Evil (I can't speak Japanese! So sue me!)  
  
  
A large castle loomed over the landscape, almost completely blending in with the dreary landscape. Its walls were worn, gray rocks that seemed to melt into the stormy sky that swirled above. Turrets and spires jutted out sharply from the top, rising ominously to stab the clouds. The fortress was an imposing view, visible from miles away, commanding respect, or at least fear, from all occupants of the mountain it perched upon. Within the stronghold dwelled a maniacal ruler, a tyrant whose sole goal was to overtake the world. A small group of rebels had steadfastly opposed him, but after their last battle, their leader had been severely injured, and one of their members had been taken hostage.   
  
That same motley band of mere children and their partner digimon were crouching, hidden, in a cave several kilometres away. Their shelter was a dreary hole in the side of a low-riding hill, damp and dusty. A young girl, barely eight years of age, stared out of the small entrance with morose mahogany eyes. A small breeze blew playfully around her, tousling her light brown hair and whipping her well-worn outfit around her thin frame. She shivered, not from the cool winds, but from apprehension.   
  
"Kari," whispered a young boy, about her age, approaching the girl from behind. Kari turned her head, and the elder saw clearly the sadness etched across her face. "Kari, Tai's calling for you. You'd better come in."   
  
Without a word, the young girl turned and walked swiftly into the black recesses of their refuge, watched closely by the boy's compassionate cerulean eyes. She knelt by the fevered form of her older brother, who tossed and turned, mumbling deliriously, on a shallow pile of straw. Beside them sat another boy with indigo hair, his worried obsidian eyes concealed behind wire-rimmed glasses, which he shoved habitually up the bridge of his nose.   
  
"Joe?" asked Kari softly, running her hands through her brother's large bush of chocolate hair. The flushed boy ceased his ranting when he felt her gentle touch.   
  
"Yeah, Kari?" replied the older boy, ceaselessly reapplying ointment and bandages to their leader's wounds.   
  
"Is he..." Her voice broke as she gazed down at her brother's scratched and bruised face. "Is he gonna be all right?"   
  
Joe chuckled slightly. "So that's what's been worrying you?" Kari nodded silently, gazing up at the makeshift doctor with worried eyes. Joe's own ebony eyes softened. "If he makes it through tonight, he'll be fine. A lot of his wounds were infected, and he's got a fever, but I don't doubt that he'll make it."  
  
Kari's youthful face lit up. "Really?" she asked delightedly. Joe nodded, smiling at her reaction.  
  
"You know Tai, Kari. He won't ever give up." Kari nodded in agreement, grinning down at her brother, who was by now sleeping peacefully, lulled by their voices and the medicines he had been taking. "Besides," Joe continued, "I've got all the med. supplies I'll need right here." He patted his travel-worn duffel bag, which sat beside him on the dusty ground, slightly open. Kari peered in and saw a myriad of indistinguishable medical tools.  
  
Her eyes widened in awe. "Wow, Joe... you sure are prepared."  
  
Joe shrugged modestly. "My dad *is* a doctor. And besides," he added, offering her a grin, "I *am* the Chosen Child of Reliability. It's my job."  
  
Kari giggled as Joe turned back to his patient, removing some gauze that had covered a nasty gash on Tai's arm. Another girl came up to them, seating herself beside Kari.  
  
"So, Kari," she began conversationally, running a hand through her fiery hair. "How's he doing?"  
  
Kari beamed at her. "He's doing better, Sora." The older girl nodded once, gazing down at Tai's inanimate features. She took hold of one of Tai's hands, squeezing it comfortingly although he was unconscious. Somehow, she knew he could feel her there beside him, and the thought comforted her.   
  
Several feet away, a redheaded boy perched on a slightly damp rock, disregarding the moisture that seeped through his clothes. He typed away steadily at a small, yellow-and-white pineapple laptop that was nestled securely on his lap. A young girl stood behind him, peering over his shoulder perplexedly at the symbols that danced wildly across the screen, brought on by his flying fingertips.   
  
"Ummm... Izzy?" she queried tentatively, taking her light pink cowboy hat off of her head and brushing her beige hair back from her eyes.  
  
The scholarly boy grunted vaguely, his jet black gaze fixed on the screen.  
  
"What the heck are you doing?"  
  
Izzy glanced up at her for a second before reverting his gaze to his laptop, sighing resignedly. "I'm trying to figure out a way to get Matt back," he explained, gesturing randomly at the figures on the screen. "My estimates are that Piedmon's castle is impenetrable, but I've been striving to find a weakness."  
  
The girl bit her lip, nodding despite her obvious confusion. "I... get it..." she lied. Izzy shook his head and shifted his place on the rock.  
  
"Sit down, Mimi," he said, patting the space beside him. "Maybe you can help me." Mimi sat down hesitantly, brushing off the rock so as not to get her dress dirty.   
  
"So... how do we get Matt out of there?" she asked, referring to their comrade, who, along with his digimon, had been kidnapped by Piedmon.  
  
"I don't know yet." Izzy furrowed his brow in frustration, staring intently at the screen as if he expected it to come up with an answer.  
  
"D'you think... maybe an air attack?" she suggested doubtfully. "I mean, if Piedmon's, like, not expecting us, we could drop in, maybe..."  
  
Izzy shook his head. "Good idea, but Piedmon's got guards, both magical, physical, and digimon, surrounding his castle, from the sides, bottom, and top. It's practically impervious."  
  
Mimi sighed dejectedly. "Then it's impossible," she murmured.  
  
Izzy typed stubbornly at his computer. "Don't worry, Mimi," he assured her. "There's got to be a way..."  
  
Far away, across a cheerless expanse of bare rock and stone, the same boy they discussed stirred, roused from his unconscious state. He opened his icy blue eyes slowly, looking around himself warily. His gaze fell on a prone figure, draped in a blue-striped fur coat, who still lay on the floor.  
  
"Gabumon!" he cried hoarsely, trying desperately to reach his friend. At some point during his dazed efforts to approach the unconscious digimon, he realised that he was firmly bound to a rough marble pillar with tight ropes. A demoniac laugh echoed through the empty hall, and the boy jerked his head upwards, glaring towards the source, a tall clown-like figure walking regally into his captive's line of vision.  
  
"You're awake," the clown remarked, his smooth voice sending chills down the boy's spine.   
  
"No thanks to you," he snapped in reply, shivering uncontrollably. The pale lights illuminating the room caught the angry glint in his icy eyes as he stared malevolently at his captor. "What did you do to Gabumon?"  
  
The clown's reddish eyes lit up in surprise. "Why, nothing, Matt. Did you think I would ever do anything to hurt your precious friend?" The clown's sarcastic tone was accompanied by a leer that spread across his satanically painted face.  
  
"Why you..." the boy growled under his breath, completing the threat with an expletive that caused the clown to laugh tauntingly.  
  
"Do you think I am threatened by a little boy like you?" he asked.  
  
Matt averted his gaze, drawing in a shuddering breath as the clown slowly approached him. "Piedmon, just cut to the chase. What do you want me for?"  
  
A delighted smile stretched across the clown's face, accented by blood-red lips, as he darted forward and grabbed a handful of Matt's blonde hair, forcing the boy's face towards him.  
  
Biting back a yell of pain, Matt muttered rebelliously, "Lay off the hair!"  
  
Piedmon's sordid breath blew forcefully into Matt's face as he growled at his captive. "You. Will. Not. Give. Me. Orders," he retorted, punctuating each remark with a yank on Matt's tender scalp. "As to what I want," he continued with a demonic grin, releasing Matt's head. "You will give it to me no matter what."  
  
"No way!" Matt yelled wildly, desperately ignoring the waves of pain that shot from the roots of his hair, momentarily blurring his vision.  
  
"I want you to fight with me," Piedmon proceeded, almost blithely, blatantly neglecting Matt's vehement protesting. "No, no, no, young Chosen, don't bother objecting. It's in your nature."  
  
"What?" yelped Matt, but his rebuke of Piedmon's suggestion lacked the enthusiasm it had before. "What do you mean... my nature?" he asked hesitantly. Piedmon grinned, delighted.  
  
"It's your destiny to defeat those brats and rule this world by my side!" he crowed, throwing his head back and laughing uncontrollably.  
  
Matt fought down a wave of nausea that threatened to overcome him. "...Destiny?" he whispered, barely audible. Suddenly, his voice came back stronger. "Puppetmon already tried this with me!" he yelled, blinking back sudden tears. "I almost destroyed them before. I *won't* consent to doing that again!"  
  
"Come now, Matt," Piedmon replied appeasingly. "You've never really recovered from that, have you? The feeling of power... it was intoxicating, wasn't it?" Matt ducked his head, unable to reply. Piedmon smiled knowingly. "You feel guilty, because you want that power again."  
  
"But..." Matt protested feebly, tears shining in his eyes. "They're my friends. And what that... that entity said... I can't let you win!"  
  
"The entity was only trying to get you back on their side. There is no good and evil, Matt! Just power, and those who are too weak to recognise it!" A/N ~ *cackles* I read Harry Potter too much... I warped the line a little, though... heh...  
  
Confusion was etched in Matt's gaze, but he still shook his head stubbornly. "I have power, the kind you wouldn't understand!"  
  
"The power of friends?" asked Piedmon cynically. "What friends? I don't see them."  
  
"They're coming, I know it," he replied obstinately.  
  
Piedmon shook his head in mock-sadness. "Matt, Matt, Matt. When will you ever see? They only used you. You have no friends... but me, that is."  
  
Behind him, Gabumon stirred. "Matt?" asked the dog-like digimon nervously. "What's going on?"  
  
Piedmon glared. "What a time for you to wake up," he snapped, kicking the digimon away. "Someone come and restrain this powerless ball of fluff in the dungeons!" he called.   
  
A troop of Vilemon, strange, grayish, monkey-like creatures came marching in through the door, the pale lights reflecting in their beady red eyes, and their bat-like wings flapping listlessly behind them. They all bowed to Piedmon, grinning insanely to show off their pointed teeth, and walked casually up to Gabumon, who was still lying dazed on the floor. The digimon began to struggle, but was soon pinned down by a myriad Vilemon, and led from the room.   
  
Satisfied, Piedmon turned back to Matt, who was staring forlornly after his digimon. "I'll leave you to think on what I said," he remarked casually, turning and leaving the speechless boy as he walked out of the hall.  
  
When he was out of Matt's sight range, however, he transformed, anger boiling throughout his body. Slamming a gloved hand into the rough stone wall, he ranted pointlessly.   
  
"Stupid boy!" he screamed. "I sensed the darkness in him! It was so obvious!" He paused to glare back in the direction of the hall where Matt was still tied to the pillar. "Why should he choose now to deny his nature?"  
  
Still fuming, he stalked down the hall, ignoring the numerous servants who dropped what they were doing to scurry out of his path, bowing frantically. He swept regally into his throne room, snapping at his dutiful servants to leave him alone. The weak digimon scattered out of their moody master's presence, letting him stay completely isolated in the empty room.  
  
He collapsed in the high-backed chair that served as his throne, idly picking off the flaking golden paint on its arms as he glared around him. The elegant scarlet curtains that surrounded the room were beginning to show their wear, worn through and ripped in several places. The carpet, a shade of bloody red, was dirty from the steps of many servants. On the wall hung a framed picture of all four Dark Masters. The glass was broken from when Piedmon had thrown a vase at it, enraged that they could be defeated so easily. The others had fallen, one by one, to this unimaginably strong rebel force composed of small children.  
  
MetalSeaDramon had been the first to fall. Piedmon focused on his ex-colleague's serpent-like form, glinting in the unseen sunlight that had glowed the day the picture was taken. He was a fool. Thinking that he could possibly control the vast expanse of the seas all by himself, and not even being that strong of a mega. Piedmon laughed to himself, reminiscing scornfully about his old partners.  
  
His gaze fell on Puppetmon next, taking in the wooden one's rakish yet fun-loving smile amid tangled strings and boards. Puppetmon... also a fool. He loved to play far too much, and his yearning for a playmate had led him unsuspectingly to his doom.  
  
Piedmon's brow furrowed as he looked upon the seemingly impenetrable form of MachineDramon. When the children had defeated MachineDramon, he had started to worry. Of course, Piedmon was by far the most powerful, but MachineDramon had been a close second, and he had been defeated by only one of the children's megas. True, he had been at a disadvantage, what with WarGreymon's weapons designed especially for Dramon-type digimon, but still... Piedmon mused to himself silently, tapping an elegant finger on his lap.   
  
When MachineDramon had been defeated, Piedmon had realised that he needed more to defeat the Chosen. He had found that in Matt. The boy harbored an evilness deep inside himself.   
  
"But how shall I bring it out...?" Piedmon murmured, perplexed. Suddenly, a voice whispered from beside the chair, and he jumped in surprise.  
  
"Take time, Piedmon. I, too, sensed the darkness in his soul," it hissed. Piedmon looked warily about, his gaze falling on a swirling black mist that came out of a corner in the room.  
  
"Wha... who...?" he stammered, backing up.  
  
The mist let out a sinister chuckle. "Do not fear me, old friend."  
  
Piedmon peered closely at the mist, his mouth dropping open in surprise as he glimpsed a fanged smile deep in it. "Myotismon?" he whispered.  
  
"One and the same, my old comrade," Myotismon replied. "I am saving my strength in this translucent form until I am once again able to defeat those foolish children."  
  
"What did you mean about the boy? How can I take time? The Chosen will eventually come to rescue him."  
  
"I see..." Myotismon mused for a second. "I have... taken over the soul of another Chosen, back on Earth."  
  
"What?" Piedmon leaned forward eagerly. "But they're all here! How can that be?"  
  
"I think this boy never realised his calling to be a Chosen Child, and was not needed to defeat me. But he *does* have the power of any of these Chosen we fight now. I have implanted a Dark Seed in the child, to feed off of his darkness and grow, taking over his mind. I believe the seed may have matured enough so that he would willingly join our cause."  
  
Piedmon licked his lips in anticipation. "Fantastic... Then we may not even need that insufferable Chosen." He gestured rudely towards the hall.   
  
"We could have both, if we took our time," Myotismon replied, unseen lips cracking into a demonic smile. "Do you wish me to summon the boy here?"  
  
"Now?" asked Piedmon. "Yes!"  
  
Matt was falling asleep, hoping to forget the pain caused by numb joints. He had been incessantly mulling over what Piedmon hat been telling him, and, despite himself, began to see some reason in the clown's persuasion.   
  
His head dropped, nestled snugly against his chest, and he slowly closed his eyes, letting the comforting darkness encompass him. Suddenly, he jerked awake, acutely aware of a certain aura that pervaded the air in the castle. The secure fortress was suddenly rocked by a silent explosion, followed by a blinding flash of light and a cry of triumph, voiced by Piedmon and another unseen villain.  
  
In a small cave miles away, Tai had just stirred, and Joe, Sora, and Kari all watched anxiously over him.   
  
"Something's going to happen..." he rasped weakly, trying to raise his head. Kari gently pushed him back down.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Tai," she said softly. "Nothing's wrong."  
  
Joe suddenly spoke up, his midnight eyes darting around warily. "I feel it too. It's like... a tension in the air, or something."  
  
He was suddenly interrupted by a blindingly bright light that shot up from the castle in the distance. In a few moments, it faded, as did the tension in the air.   
  
After a minute of utter silence, Izzy asked, "What the heck was that?"  
  
~~~  
  
After the dust cleared in the throne room, Piedmon looked eagerly upon a vulnerable form that lay in a crater in the middle of the room. The small boy stood hesitantly, fear evident on his face as he took in his surroundings. Piedmon smiled maniacally as he looked into the boy's cool azure eyes. In them he saw apprehension, innocence, a gentleness... but also a darkness lurking behind it all, yearning to escape.  
  
  
-----  
  
  
Well... hope it wasn't *too* bad... heh... I'll try not to be so lazy with the next chapter... *fidgets nervously* And to the people who thought I was gonna kill Tai, well... *shrugs* How could I ever kill my Tai?  
  
- Takeru - You killed me in that one fic...  
  
Er... um, well, that went with the plot... Hey... you're not my muse!  
  
- Takeru - *shrugs* Ken bribed me.  
  
Where is he?!  
  
- Takeru - ...I think he's heading for Calgary...  
  
*hefts anime mallet over her shoulder* Excuse me while I go hunt my muse down... *runs after Ken*  
  
- Takeru - *sweatdrop* Uh... Review, I guess...  



	3. Mugen ~*~ Visions

*comes in dragging a struggling Ken* Yes! *shouts triumphantly* I found my runaway muse!  
  
- Ken - *groans* Somebody help meeeee....  
  
Bwahahahahaha!! Er... yeah. Not a good sign when I start out the chapter with evil cackling, now, is it, folks? Heh. Anyhoo, this chapter contains vewwwy violent Matt-dreams/visions/glimpses, whatever ya wanna call 'em. *stares at Yama* Never knew you were so dark... Evil makes you seksy... *glomps Yama*   
  
- Ken - *cheers* I'm free! She has an inexplicable fetish with Yamato now!  
  
*shrugs* Yamato, TK, Tai, Koushirou, Jyou, Ken... *drools* all of 'em are bishounen! *evil smile* That don't mean you're off the hook, Ken-kun! *turns and glomps Ken*  
  
Bwahaha... Kawaii Mimi-chan, you didn't get to use your punishment hammer! *sticks out tongue* Nyah... ^-^  
  
I've decided most of the romances for this story, although they probably won't show up until later on. Taira/Taiora - This is for DigiDestined of Courage, Baby Blossom, and WarGreymon1104 (all the people who said 'Taiora Forever!' in their reviews... hehe). Takari, for, um, all the Takari lovers out there... ^-^. Aaand, I haven't decided Jyoumi or Koumi yet... Vote on it in your reviews! Jyoumi is Jyou (Joe) x Mimi, and Koumi is Koushirou (Izzy) x Mimi. Thanks!   
  
Warning! Warning! Sporadic updates alert! Tennis is underway, as is school, and I'll prob'ly be updating even LESS (if that's possible...) I have a fairly good idea of how this fic'll turn out, and I'm already drawing plans for a sequel. I tend to get ahead of myself... *grins sheepishly* Meanwhile, my main problem is actually WRITING the fic. Heh. Gomen. Guess y'could call me a procrastinator, ne? Ah well... at least this time, the late update can be blamed on faulty FF.net. (although I didn't write this until right before it was up again, anyway...)  
  
Disclaimer - Stop torturing me!! *turns chibi and looks up with big teary eyes* I don't own digimon! *waterfall tears*   
  
I'll shut up now. On with the fic! And... *waggles fingers* My magical powers will make you review. Alakazam! *waits* Er... Abracadabra! *nothing happens* Oh yeah, I forgot... I need your help on this, uh... trick. Go down to the box at the bottom AFTER reading this part of the story, fill it out, press 'OK,' and presto! You will have reviewed! Fun, ne? ^-^;; Squee.  
  
  
As Destiny Blooms  
Part Three ~ Mugen ~*~ Visions  
  
  
A large, ebony mist loomed in the corner of the dank chamber, seemingly sucking any positive energy that had once lingered in the air out of the room - that is, if there had been any to begin with. A sinister voice was emitted from the very depths of the hazy evil, conversing with an insane clown that stood by its side. The object of their discourse was a small boy, around the age of eight or so, who was curled up into a small ball in the middle of a large crater on the floor. The child slept peacefully, innocent azure eyes shut tightly, oblivious to the dark forces that slowly penetrated the barriers grief had set around him.   
  
"How long will this take?" the clown inquired impatiently, tapping his foot on the floor.   
  
"Patience," the other advised, his gravelly voice curt and cold. "It will be done soon enough. Meanwhile, you might be working on how to win over our... other charge. He has more experience, and will not be fooled so easily."  
  
Piedmon froze, a perplexed look stamped on his painted features. "But how?" he whispered to himself harshly. "The stupid boy denies his own dark nature, even with my persuasion!"  
  
"It is because he is wary and distrustful of you," replied the mist benignly. Piedmon uttered a violent curse while the evil spirit chuckled. "Why don't you convince him that the others hate him?"  
  
"I've *tried* that," the clown complained, as Myotismon watched bemusedly. "He doesn't believe me!"  
  
"Tell him... vicariously," the vampire suggested slyly. Piedmon looked at him in puzzlement, and he explained. "Give him a drink or some sort of sustenance. Say it's... to help him sleep or something. Program the Chosen's hatred towards him into the drink."  
  
Piedmon's brow furrowed. "What?" he asked, confused.  
  
Myotismon sighed tolerantly. "I said, make the drink so that he will dream of their loathing of him, and he will grow to hate them as well. That," he paused shrewdly, "or he will be too broken up to resist his own darkness. We will win either way."  
  
Piedmon's eyes lit up with the revelation, as Myotismon watched approvingly. "I'll go brew up some potion now..." he muttered as he hurried off.  
  
The vampire's gaze never left Piedmon's back as the clown vacated swiftly. "Fool," he muttered under his breath. "Only one will be King of these lands... and that one is me."  
  
~  
  
Piedmon casually approached the bound boy, who glared at him suspiciously with frigid icy eyes. He smiled calmly at Matt, attempting to be social, but the sight only sent chilling shivers dancing up and down Matt's spine.   
  
"What do you want?" he growled, trying to mask the fatigue that crept stealthily into his voice.  
  
Piedmon offered a silver chalice towards the boy. The cup was an ornate item, decorated lavishly with sparkling gems of all different colours, and filled with a strangely shimmering crimson liquid. "Only to give you this." He lifted the cup towards Matt's lips.  
  
Matt shied away from the advancing goblet, trying desperately to prevent it from reaching his lips. Although he was still bound tightly to the large marble column, he managed to put up a decent fight, until Piedmon roughly grabbed his head in a single gloved hand, forcing it towards him. Matt glared pure hate towards the jovial face of the clown. "Why, to poison me?" he asked bitterly.  
  
The clown gave the pretense of being surprised. "What? Poison? Never! It's simply a small potion to help you sleep!" he exclaimed, looking slightly hurt.  
  
Matt glared at him distrustingly, but suddenly Piedmon pinched his nostrils shut in a swift movement. As soon as Matt opened his mouth to gasp in a breath, the clown digimon poured the shimmering liquid down the boy's throat.  
  
Coughing and spluttering as the drink made its burning way into his veins, the captive boy futilely fought the waves of mist that threatened to overtake his senses. His weighted eyelids slowly lowered themselves over his eyes, and his vision became hazy and weak. He slowly succumbed to the enveloping obsidian fog.  
  
~  
  
"You know," Joe murmured, trying to hold the restless Tai down as he administered bandages, "I liked it better when you were unconscious."  
  
The mahogany-haired leader offered his 'doctor' a reckless, yet impatient, grin. "But it was no fun," he complained. Blinking his chocolate-coloured eyes lazily, he implored the red-haired girl next to him for help. "Sora, tell Joe to let me up..."  
  
The girl shook her head sternly, a teasing smile playing on her lips, as she smacked his head lightly. "Tai, it's your own fault you're hurt so badly. Next time, don't go rushing off into battle without reinforcements."  
  
The brunette's eyes clouded over as he gazed blankly at a spot over the girl's shoulder. "I had reinforcements... I had WarGreymon..."  
  
Sora's own crimson eyes were saturated with compassion. "Tai... he'll be okay, I swear. All of our digimon, plus the ones Mimi rallied, are in a discreet place in the forest now, looking after him."  
  
"But I didn't have enough power... and he's hurt. Badly. And Matt..." His voice trailed off again, only to resume with a stronger, more determined tone. "How could I have been knocked out? And let him be taken like that? I have to go and get him!"  
  
He struggled futilely against Joe's viselike hold, but the injuries he had sustained still weakened him severely. "No," Joe admonished firmly. "You're not up to strength yet. WarGreymon's not up to strength. Heck, the rest of us aren't up to strength! We need you at full health, and *then* we'll get Matt back, okay?"  
  
Tai stopped struggling momentarily, but he still continued to voice complaints. "I should've been stronger. What am I as leader if I couldn't even stop a stupid cackling clown? And he took Matt. I let my best friend be kidnapped because I couldn't hold my own against some insane thespian! If I don't get him back, I don't know what I'll do. I mean, what kind of a person am I to let my best friend rot in a dungeon? Oh, God, and what about that explosion earlier? What if that damned clown is hurting him? If he is, I'll..."  
  
Exchanging an exasperated glance with Joe, Sora leaned down and planted a firm kiss on Tai's raving mouth. When she eventually straightened, she noticed everyone in the small cave staring at her in extreme curiosity and embarrassment. She flushed slightly, a wicked grin stretching across her face as she looked down at the speechless Tai, his lips flapping open and shut like a gaping fish.  
  
"I do what I have to do," she said lightly.  
  
"Right..." Joe snorted, as he continued treating Tai.  
  
~  
  
Matt suddenly snapped his gaze upwards. His entire being was engulfed in darkness, and directly before him, in a small patch of too-bright light, stood Tai. He reached his hand out, pleading, to his former leader, but the brunette's mahogany eyes were hard and full of spite. He backed away from Matt's searching grasp, letting his so-called friend's hand drop limply to the ground.   
  
"Tai..." Matt's voice sounded rough as it rasped a pitiful plea.  
  
"You thought we were your friends?" Tai scoffed, staring straight into Matt's icy blue eyes coldly. "I can't believe you." He laughed harshly, stepping forward and trodding on Matt's fallen hand mercilessly as Matt cried out in pain. "Now that you're out of the way, we can actually *do* something. You held us back, Matt." His voice was taunting, and Matt whimpered softly. "You held us back from what we could have been. We're glad you're gone."  
  
"No," Matt whispered, but Tai's figure was slowly fading into the background, and in his place stood Sora. Matt smiled gladly - surely Sora, the holder of Love, would help her friend free from Piedmon's grasp. "Sora! Help me, please. Tai wouldn't, but I know you..." He trailed off as he stared at her unforgiving face.  
  
"Ha! Love!" She laughed mockingly, crimson eyes aflame with an emotion opposite her nature. "Love is for people you care for, fool." She regarded the boy scornfully, and added, "That doesn't include you, if you were wondering." She turned on her heel and strode away, not bothering to look back. Matt bowed his head, tears threatening to fall, but his grief was interrupted by the arrival of yet another Chosen Child.  
  
"Matt..." The soft voice echoed around the dark abysmal void, and he glanced up to see Mimi standing in front of him. Too tired to even speak, he simply stared mournfully at her. Rather than the hate the previous two had shown, sympathy was etched on her features. Hope rose in his heart.   
  
"You know I have to be sincere, Matt." She took a deep breath. "I never liked you, really. You were always so, like, mean!" She flipped her light brown hair over her shoulder and giggled girlishly, innocence shining from her honey-coloured eyes. "And cold, and stuff," she continued blithely, oblivious of the splintering shaft she had just driven into Matt's ailing soul. "Y'know, I feel sorry for you. You're so, like, pathetic. Go and get some friends. I mean, like, not here, though. We don't like you. Never have, never will. Bye!" She waved cheerfully with a gloved hand, and skipped away to join the others, her pink dress swishing about her feet.  
  
"Mimi, don't go!" Matt sobbed forlornly as the keeper of Sincerity flounced into the waiting arms of her friends... Friends that were no longer his, as he silently reminded himself.  
  
The next to step forward was Joe. Anger emanated from his obsidian eyes as he pushed his glasses furiously up his nose. "You were always mean to me, Matt," he accused, glaring a deathly promise to the boy on the ground. "You teased me. Well, now it's my turn. Friend? Crest of Friendship? Don't make me laugh. You'll never have friends. You're too cold." Shoving his specs onto the bridge of his nose one final time, he turned and walked haughtily away.  
  
"No, Joe, please..." Matt's voice was barely audible as he watched Joe's receding figure. His heart sank as Izzy interceded on his line of vision, striding boldly up in front of him.  
  
"Computer nerd, eh, Matt?" he commented, malicious glee shining from his ebony eyes. "Not anymore. Am I still the one without friends? I have friends, Matt." He gesticulated randomly in the general direction of the other Chosen, and glared scornfully down at Matt. "You don't. That's how it was meant to be. I mean, who, logically, would be friends with you? It makes no sense whatsoever, and my theories are always correct."  
  
Matt drew a shuddering breath, sorrow penetrating the barrier he had set around his frozen heart, melting it into unbidden tears that coursed heedlessly down his pale cheeks. He failed to notice a small figure stopping in front of him until a timid voice spoke.  
  
"Matt?"  
  
He looked up, drawing in ragged draughts of air as he strove to calm his nerves, to see Kari. The young girl's soft brown eyes were full of naiveté, but a hint of hate and loathing lurked behind the innocent facade. "What, Kari?" he whispered tiredly, his face drawn and ashen, willing himself not to feel any more of the emotion that ripped and tore ravenously at his heart.  
  
"Why did you let Myotismon get me?" The question was posed in a casual manner, but it hung between the two like a great stone wall. Matt started, shocked.  
  
"Kari, I never! I protected you. I couldn't help it when you were taken!" he cried, reaching out a trembling hand towards the girl.  
  
She dodged heartlessly away from his touch, glaring down derisively. "You could have!" she accused shrilly. "You could have fought off Phantomon! You could have saved me, and Gatomon, and Wizardmon! You. Killed. Wizardmon!"   
  
Matt stared, shock stealing the wind from his chest and leaving him breathless. The accusation would, to any logical thinker, seem unfounded, but to his grief-ridden mind, the guilt rushing towards him overloaded his senses. He broke down sobbing at her feet as she watched passively, finally turning and walking slowly away.  
  
The patter of young footsteps announced the arrival of his final tormentor. He looked up into azure eyes identical to his own, albeit these normally compassionate eyes were frozen over with hatred and contempt. A childish voice broke into Matt's self-pity. "You were never a brother to me," TK said slowly, reveling in the horror that showed plainly on his older brother's face. "Tai is better. You were never there for me. You're not my brother any more. That's Tai. I don't love you." TK glared hard at Matt, waiting for the harsh words to strike deep within Matt's already shattered heart.  
  
Matt's eyes dulled as he stared listlessly at his younger brother. "No," he whispered, barely audible. "No..." The faint plea grew louder as he wailed, curling up into the fetal position on the floor, trying to avoid the hateful stares of those he had once called friends. "Nooooooo!"  
  
He let the scream echo across the void, not caring who heard him. A cool breeze blew suddenly across his face, and he looked up again, expecting to see the faces of his friends glaring pure animosity at him. Instead, he was confronted by a wide, barren plain that stretched out in front of him until it met the midnight black horizon. The moon drifted, bright yet alone, encompassed in a mass of velvet. As the mists shifted, a patch of stars were revealed, rivaling the dominant moon for possession of the sky, and yet, the moon still outshone them all.  
  
Matt gazed around himself, awed by the power that sizzled within his body, but somehow, in a strange way, it seemed familiar to him. The wind whipped around him, playing with an ebony cape that swirled about his thin, tall frame as he stood, an imposing figure that overshadowed all. He was backed by an army of the most vicious Dark Digimon in the world, but they all submitted to his reign, for the power was his, and his alone.  
  
He narrowed his icy eyes contemptuously as he witnessed a small band of creatures approaching from the far horizon. He realised that he recognised them, as they drew closer. They were his supposed friends who had moments before left him for dead, but now... Now, they looked older, and, as he examined his own body, so did he.   
  
Tai strode bravely out in front, evidently still the leader, scars scattered haphazardly across his tanned and weathered skin. A battle-worn sword was strapped to his waist, and his fingers toyed with the handle as he stared out purposefully across the plain at Matt. A strange, orange aura glowed around him, tainting the air with the scent of pure power. At his side walked Sora, her reddish hair past her shoulders, untamed and wild, and her crimson eyes shining with the same purpose as her leader. On her belt was a small dagger, and across her back, a quiver of arrows hung. She carried an old wooden bow with the ease of one who knows how to use the weapon, and an arrow was already notched against the relaxed string.  
  
Close behind them, Mimi, Joe, and Izzy walked side by side, all armed, their faces set with grim determination. Matt wondered briefly what they were setting out to do, and it came to him in a flash of dreading premonition - they intended to destroy him. He stood, unmoving and unable to do anything, as they neared him, still tiny specks in the distance, but growing larger all the time.   
  
Next were TK, Kari, and another strange young boy, one he had never seen, with tangled, raven-coloured hair and soft cerulean eyes. TK held a long staff in his right hand with apparent ease, and with his other he grasped Kari's wrist as they exchanged a loving glance. Kari's free hand clutched a somewhat long, unsheathed knife, one that was almost identical to the dagger the strange boy held.   
  
Next to each of the children walked their respective digimon, but they, too, looked older and more experienced than Matt had ever seen them. A small, green worm perched upon the strange boy's shoulder, glaring malevolently towards Matt with watery blue eyes.  
  
The small group of sixteen approached steadily, and as they neared him, Matt could see the smallest twinges of regret on their faces, but the predominant emotion was... apathy. They seemed to be hiding their feelings quite effectively, but he could detect an obvious sadness, and an anger as well. They finally came to a stop, several yards away from him. He stood silently, staring at them.  
  
Tai spoke, straining to be heard above the howling winds as he shouted, "Yamato! We delivered you an ultimatum some twenty-four hours ago - Surrender or die! We will not tolerate your torture of innocent creatures any longer!"  
  
Matt's head swam. Torture? Tai had obviously snapped. His lips moved unbidden as he replied, curling his lips contemptuously, "Surrender? For what? I will crush you like the bugs you are!"  
  
Still not quite believing what was happening, not quite grasping either the situation or control of his actions, he gave a slight nod. With a simultaneous feral roar, the hordes of virus digimon massed behind him streamed forward. Matt watched them flow past him with an emotion akin to horror - What was he doing? He briefly saw the small, battered group of sixteen readying their weapons before the scene flashed brightly. He shielded his eyes from the glare, and as it faded, he faced a severely different setting. The sixteen hardened warriors still stood in front of him, panting and tottering unsteadily with exhaustion, streaked with their own blood and the grayish data from the dead or dying digimon that were scattered around them.   
  
Tai looked up at Matt again, a strange fire alight in his eyes. "Matt, please," he whispered, tears forming to slide slowly down his cheeks. "Don't make us do this."  
  
A fury built up in Matt inexplicably, and he cried insanely, "Matt? Who gave you permission to call me that? It is Yamato to you inferior beings!"  
  
Tai sighed reluctantly, then nodded almost unnoticeably, and Mimi stepped forward, raising her hands as an emerald mist swirled around her thin frame. Palmon stood by her side, supporting her and offering up her energy. Mimi's hair was lifted up by the winds, whipping around her face as the green haze spread through the ground. The barren land trembled as plants that had never before seen the light of day erupted, jubilant with the life that had been given them. They wrapped themselves around Matt, binding him tightly, as he stood in amazement. Tai stepped forward.  
  
"I hate to do this, Matt," he said simply, as he raised his hands as well. Mimi stood back, joining the line, as they all mimicked Tai's movements, and the ghostly colours of power flickered through the air. The digimon stood back, watching their partners prepare to deliver Armageddon to Matt. The wind whistled and howled even more loudly, as Tai called, "Now!"  
  
A sudden rush of pure energy flowed from the warriors towards Matt, who was abruptly struck by the urgency of the situation. With a slight flick of his wrist, he broke his bindings, catching the aghast look on Mimi's face with a sinister smile as he did so. He held up a single hand, and the attack stopped, falling to the ground. An icy cold apathy rose up inside of him, suffocating any emotions he had once had.   
  
Mimi had fallen to the ground, the agony of her plants coursing through her veins. She writhed in pain as Matt grinned and pointed his finger in a single malicious movement, sending a jet of fire onto the vines. They sizzled slowly, and he smiled, enjoying her anguish immensely.  
  
Without tearing his gaze away from Matt, Tai yelled, "Mimi! Break your connection!"  
  
Struggling to draw a breath, the plant girl summoned a wall of emerald power, constructing a barrier between herself and the plants. Izzy and Joe ran over to her, helping her to stand feebly.  
  
Matt then sent a blast of ice through her barrier, splintering it and causing her to scream as the pain rushed at her again. "Want me to put you out of your misery?" he asked tauntingly. "If you insist..." An identical jet of ice shaped like a dagger rushed through the air, striking the girl through the chest. She stared down in surprise at the weapon that had penetrated her skin, gasping slightly as it melted swiftly, leaving a gaping hole that poured forth crimson blood. Her eyes turned up in her head, and she collapsed in a heap on the ground. Palmon beside her let out one single cry of sadness and pain before she burst into data, the wind scattering her particles far and wide throughout the sky.  
  
Matt couldn't control the cold joy that coursed through his veins at this cold-blooded killing, smiling gleefully like a child at play as he heard the agonised screams of her companions. He then turned his gaze on Izzy and Joe, staring scornfully at them. "Would you like the same fate?" he asked mockingly. He barely heard their furious yells over the pleasant humming power that fizzed up through his body.  
  
Izzy summoned a bolt of lightning, electrifying the torrents of crashing water that Joe sent rushing towards Matt. With a flick of his finger, Matt halted the attack and replied with his own cyclone of wild flames. He listened delightedly to their screams as the fire licked hungrily at their skin, not even watching to see their singed bodies collapse lifelessly on the ground, or their digimon partners screaming first in fury, then in fear, as their own bodies swiftly dissipating  
  
Sora was next, taken with a sudden bolt of electricity. Her scream and Biyomon's final shrill cry still hung on the still air as he slew Kari and the strange boy with simultaneous arcs of light, blasting their respective digimon in the process.   
  
He reverted his gaze to the two remaining. Both TK and Tai had tears of rage and sadness in their eyes as they clutched their weapons while kneeling next to the bodies of their loved ones. Matt's wild laughter rang through the air, and TK looked up at him hatefully.  
  
"I thought there was still a chance for you, after all this time," he spat, tears coursing down his cheeks unheeded. "I am ashamed to call you brother!" Patamon fluttered beside his head, nodding fiercely in agreement.  
  
"What a pity," Matt replied, keeping his voice light and cheerful, as if they were holding an everyday conversation. "But d'you know what? I'm bored now. I think I'll take you two for my slaves. What an irony - the one I once called brother, and the one I once called my best friend." He gestured slightly, and solid iron manacles fastened themselves around the wrists and ankles of his two captives.   
  
"I will *never* be your slave!" Tai yelled, eyes burning with a fury that surpassed any Matt had ever seen. The air crackled with a fierce, fiery power, but it was held in by the chains.   
  
"I don't think you have much of a choice." Matt smiled kindly down at Tai, who shivered despite himself.   
  
"No matter what you do," TK chimed in hatefully, "We won't serve you! Never!"  
  
Matt continued to smile as he drew several small dark particles from a pocket. "Like I said," he replied, tossing them towards the two, "I don't think you have much of a choice."  
  
As soon as the particles struck the two, their eyes turned dull, and they walked slowly towards him over the sea of slaughtered bodies, kneeling in front of his towering figure willingly. As the same specs of darkness struck Agumon and Patamon, the two bewildered digimon concurrently scattered through the skies as myriad bits of data, but TK and Tai didn't seem to notice or even care.  
  
"Who am I?" Matt demanded harshly, gazing down at them on the ground.  
  
"Master," they intoned simultaneously. He smiled in satisfaction.  
  
"Master," he repeated. "Has a nice ring to it."  
  
The scene faded to a hazy gray, and Matt slowly blinked his eyes, a horrified feeling spreading through his chest. He blinked again, staring in shock as the chamber materialised, slowly coming into focus, and he saw Piedmon's painted face observing him intently from a throne across the hall. Intense relief swept over him.  
  
"It was just a dream," he breathed, feeling sweat still standing on his brow. However comforted he was that it had all been a terrible nightmare, he couldn't help reminding himself that it had all felt so... real, and so... right, in a morbid sort of way.  
  
"What was, my dear boy?" asked Piedmon mildly. Matt glared at him distrustfully.  
  
"What was that crap you made me drink?" he snapped.  
  
Piedmon shrugged. "It was merely a draught of potion to help you sleep... Although," he added with a small smile, "It has certain... properties."  
  
"What kind of properties?" Matt asked, shuddering at the gory visions he had seen.  
  
Piedmon seemed to hesitate on telling the captive boy. "Well... It's been known to give the creature who consumed it... eh, visions, shall we call them. Glimpses may be a more apt term. Glimpses of the feelings others bear towards you. It always brings true visions."  
  
Piedmon allowed himself a secretive, triumphant smile as he watched the boy mull this over. The evil digimon had, in fact, programmed the supposed animosity of the other Chosen into the drink, but the boy needn't know that.  
  
"So... they really do hate me," Matt muttered, grief clouding his azure eyes once again.  
  
Piedmon feigned curiosity. "Who, dear boy?" he asked innocently.  
  
"The other Chosen... they all said that they did..." Matt's voice broke as Piedmon came up to him, patting his head in mock sympathy.  
  
"Poor boy," he murmured, inwardly jumping for joy.  
  
"And then I..." His voice trailed off as the visions of carnage flashed unbidden before his eyes, horrified by the pleasure that welled up within him at the memory of the 'glimpse.'  
  
"You what?" Piedmon asked, intrigued. He had not programmed anything but the other Chosen's supposed animosity towards the boy into the drink. He wanted to know what Matt's own inner darkness had come up with, teamed with an unusual side effect the drink had - an ability to have a clear, truthful vision of what the future held.  
  
Matt's voice shook. "I killed them all but TK and Tai... I made them my slaves... Oh, God!" he wailed, shaking uncontrollably. "Is this what I'm really like inside?" he asked, looking pleadingly towards the clown digimon, who shrugged.  
  
"All you must know now, young one, is that you are not wanted with the other Chosen." Piedmon looked down into the boy's tearful eyes paternally. "Know also that you are welcome here forever, if you should wish it to be so. Perhaps these visions of carnage were just a horrible dream. They need never come true if you don't want them to. Come what come may, you and I probably have no role in destiny. All I offer is a home." He almost laughed proudly at the performance he gave. The boy looked utterly convinced of the clown's good intentions.  
  
Matt looked up into Piedmon's eyes uncertainly, but saw the sincerity that shone from the digimon's face. "I..." he stuttered, never taking his gaze off of Piedmon's sympathetic smiling face. "I guess I'll stay with you."  
  
  
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Squee!!! Eh... yeah. Review! And I'll *try* to get the next part up relatively soon, as well as the next part of Turn Back Time, but *sniffs* school has started! Oh, the horror!  
  
*shivers* I never knew I was so violent... But it was strangely fun to write... *bursts out cackling* Mwahahahahahaha! And I hope I didn't give away too much about the ending of this fic... *cue ominous music* Dum dum dummm...  
  
- Ken - You have an unhealthy obsession with me-torture.  
  
*incredulously* You-torture? Who, li'l ol' me? Never... *innocent look* Bwahahahahahaha!  
  
- Ken - The cackling kind of gives you away.  
  
Oh. Um, feck... Ah, what the heck. Hey! That rhymes! *giggles shrilly* Aren't I clever?  
  
- Ken - Er... no.  
  
*glares* Some muse YOU are... An' besides, it wasn't just you-torture, it was Mimi-torture, Izzy-torture, Joe-torture...  
  
- Ken - *shudders* You're gonna make me sick...  
  
*cheerfully* Don't puke on the story!  
  
- Ken - Thanks... *runs away*  
  
*sighs* Not AGAIN... What is it with run-away muses? You'd think that I, like, abuse him or something! Impossible. Ah, well... *hefts anime mallet over shoulder* Here I go! Don't forget to review! *runs after Ken*  



End file.
